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While the last night’s score was much closer than the first game of the series, Bristol was in control throughout.
Audrey Boutin and Sara Plourde combined on a one-hitter, striking out five batters each. Only six batters reached base for Waterford in the game, and four of those runners were retired on the basepaths. Just two advanced past first base. Katherine Lewis’ two-out, first inning single was the only ball hit by Waterford to make it out of the infield.
Meanwhile, despite scoring just half the runs they did the previous night, Bristol’s hitters were making solid contact all game. No Bristol batter struck out and of the team’s 21 outs, five were made in the outfield and four more came as a result of line drives caught by Waterford infielders.
"They came ready to play," Bristol manager Mike McPhee said.
"It was a good game. We ran into a very talented team," Waterford manager Tom Matyas said. "I was very proud of our girls. It was a tough loss yesterday, but we came back today."
Bristol scored just one run in the first four innings as the team got used to a slow-throwing pitcher, instead of the hard throwers it prefers to face.
"It’s been our problem all year. They threw a slower pitcher and we struggled," McPhee said.
After a leadoff single in the fourth inning, Bristol hit into a double play when Waterford shortstop Brooke LaLima snagged a hard-hit liner.
"We were hitting right to the ladies. When we did have a good connection -- line drive, double play," McPhee said.
Marrissa Sesto scored Bristol’s first run in the third inning. After singling to lead off the frame, she took second on a ground out and scored on an error when an attempt to throw her out at third got away from the fielders covering the base.
Bristol scored two more in the fifth in a rally that started with Melanie Bush’s bunt single. Nicole Rudzinski then reached first on a fly ball that was dropped in center field. Amanda McPhee advanced the runners to second and third on a sacrifice bunt, then both scored as a hard-hit liner off the bat of Kim Curry got past the Waterford shortstop.
With Bristol up 3-0 after four and a half innings, Mike McPhee took starter Boutin off the mound so that she would be eligible to pitch today had a third game been necessary. Plourde took the ball and faced a potential jam in the bottom of the fifth.
Plourde walked Waterford’s Bethany Forshaw to open the inning, and Forshaw advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a stolen base. Plourde then managed to strike out the next batter after pitching to a full count. Soon after, Forshaw was thrown out after getting into a rundown between third base and home plate after the ball momentarily got away from Bristol catcher Amy Carlson. Plourde struck out the next batter to end the inning.
The locals took a 4-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning as Boutin singled, took second on a wild pitch, moved to third on a grounder then scored on another ground out.
"They made things happen, and they won," Matyas said. "I give them all the credit in the world."
Waterford got the run back in the bottom of the sixth as Danyle Abate was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error.
Bristol concluded the scoring with a one-out rally in the top of the seventh. Carlson walked and stole second to get things started, then Chelsea Methot and Plourde hit consecutive RBI triples.
"It was definitely big. Anytime you can put runs up for a cushion is a plus," Mike McPhee said of the late rally.
In last year’s Eastern Regional, the Bristol Junior League Softball team went 1-4 in pool play, beating the host team in its first game but falling out of title contention by losing its next three games by a combined four runs (5-3 to Delaware, 9-8 to New Jersey and 3-2 to Pennsylvania).
Manager McPhee believes his team will have a much better showing this season.
"Not knowing what the other states bring, I think with this team we should be playing on Wednesday (in the semifinal round)," he said.
